Council approves six-month renewal of temporary dispatchers contract; county to cover 40%
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Summary
The council authorized a six-month $330,000 purchase order to renew temporary dispatcher staffing while the city continues recruitment and training efforts; the county will reimburse 40% of operating costs, staff said.
The Roswell City Council authorized issuance of a purchase order to renew a contract for professional temporary dispatchers for consolidated dispatch and forwarded the PO for finance review.
Staff told the council the renewed six-month contract is for $330,000, drawn from the professional services budget, and that County partners will reimburse 40 percent of the operating expense. The council approved the motion to authorize the PO and to have finance review the contract; the motion carried.
Why it matters: Staff said the temporary contractors have filled critical staffing gaps while the city recruits and trains new permanent dispatchers; renewal keeps consolidated dispatch staffed while four recruits prepare to attend academy training.
Key details and debate: Staff reported four recruits are scheduled for academy on July 28 and said the city has five contractors currently filling shifts. The professional services budget line cited in the meeting had a remaining balance of about $400,000. Council members and staff discussed recruitment barriers including a stringent FBI background check, pre-hire drug screening, hearing tests and typing/proficiency testing. Starting pay cited for call takers in the meeting was $18.73 per hour; staff said there is no automatic step increase at one year without an adopted pay plan.
Staff also described outreach plans to local high schools and workforce programs, and said a recruitment and retention pay-scale plan will be presented to the city manager. The county cost-share and the six-month term were confirmed on the record.
Next steps: Finance committee review of the PO and ongoing recruitment and training work; staff to return with updates on academy results and the recruitment/retention pay-scale plan.
Ending: Councilors approved the six-month renewal; county reimbursement at 40 percent was affirmed and staff said they will continue local recruitment and training efforts.
